Gear Reviews

Two trips out, a very wet and windy day, on the Quantocks and a more amenable day on Dartmoor. This gave contrasting conditions to test out the new ‘Rook’ rucksack from Osprey. First impressions, with a fairly straightforward ‘top loader’ style of design, was a sack with enough key...

An opportunity to test the Kestrel 38 fell perfectly with my up and coming training sessions with Ten Tors and DofE groups. The need for a good day sack that has enough room for additional ‘leader’ gear plus the usual personal stuff had been on my mind. I usually use...

I had never been to Sweden. I had never been camping in winter or snow. I had certainly never even contemplated the idea of sleeping out in a sleeping bag when temperatures could be as low as -35 degrees C. Nevertheless, when the opportunity came knocking to conquer all of...

In 1981 Rab Carrington, a key figure in climbing and mountaineering, started making down sleeping bags and clothing in his home in Sheffield, using knowledge from his years of global expeditions. Rab’s goal was simple: to make honest, rugged climbing kit that could perform at the highest level. Each piece...

Osprey's Rook/Renn series is the brand new, budget friendly offering. Both women's and men's versions are available in 50 and 65 litre capacities and are designed for backpacking and adventure travel. I recently spent some time walking the Malvern Hills and took my pack on a long day hike...

The Osprey Kyte is a highly versatile backpack which is suitable for most hikes and travels. The Kyte is the women’s specific version of the men’s Kestrel, and it comes in three sizes. I have the 36ltr, and I’ve tested it on day walks on the hills and as a...

I was given the opportunity to test the Osprey Kestrel 38 and took it on a week long trip to Chamonix in the French Alps. I was going to be hiking and skiing so it was perfect for this. The landscape was beautiful and have summarised that in photos below...

I have been looking to add to my back pack range for a while with the Kestrel 38 and Talon 33 the main contenders. I was offered to test the Kestrel 38 for a weekend in Snowdonia and I jumped at the chance. The Kestrel have a number of features...

It’s been a while since I’ve had a decent waterproof shell jacket so I jumped at the chance to review this Mantra, breathable and waterproof jacket from Rab. I tested it in two locations, wearing different layers under the coat to see how warm and windproof it would be.The first...

I have had the jacket for a month spanning across December and January so have used it as my ‘go to’ jacket so I could test it in a few different conditions. The first outing was during a night running event I organise, which turned out to be a very...